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Louisiana congressional candidate sues political consultants working with opponent

Cassie Felder

Baton Rouge lawyer Cassie Felder is suing her former political consultants for terminating their relationship with her campaign. The consultants now work for another candidate, Garret Graves.
(Cassie Felder Congressional Campaign)

Cassie Felder, a candidate in Louisiana's 6th congressional district, is suing two political consultants who left her campaign to work for one of her opponents, Garret Graves.

The lawsuit, filed last week in East Baton Rouge Parish court, argues that Scott Hobbs and Jason Hebert, who run The Political Firm, should return $17,500 that her campaign paid to the group prior to their decision to stop working for her. The firm worked with Felder during a five-month period from last November to March of this year. Moreover, she wants $10,370 returned that was used to develop and purchase campaign materials.

Neither Hobbs or Hebert were aware of the lawsuit until NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune contacted them on Saturday. Both said they were surprised Felder was upset, since their split with her earlier this year appeared amicable.

The consultants said they ended their relationship with the Felder campaign because the candidate wasn't meeting certain goals, particularly when it came to fundraising. They worried whether she would have enough financial backing to launch a successful campaign.

"We told her it was probably best not to run," Hebert said in an interview. "There would be other races down the road."

In the lawsuit, the Felder campaign argues that when Hobbs and Hebert switched to the Graves campaign, they damaged Felder's election chances in the process.

"Defendants cannot unknow what they learned from working with Felder, including, but not limited to, her campaign strategies, contact lists, financial information, potential donors, and her overall personal characteristics," wrote Felder's lawyer in her petition to the court.

Felder also alleges that The Political Firm began their work with Graves before ending their relationship with her, a claim Hebert denies. He says there was a gap between when the Felder relationship ended in March and when his firm went to work for Graves.

The consultants' decision to stop working with Felder was also not related to their work later with another candidate, Hebert said. The firm didn't believe she was doing the work necessary to be a serious contender for the congressional seat.

"For the past six months, the Felder campaign has been more of a hobby and part-time activity rather than drive and devoted to laying the groundwork. After a combined 40 years in this business, we know where this campaign is headed. Therefore we are advising you to drop out of this race gracefully and with dignity still intact," wrote Hobbs in the letter terminating the consultants' agreement with Felder.

Recent campaign filings show that Graves had raised more than $814,900 as of June 30 for his campaign efforts, more than any other candidate. Felder had raised $85,180, which puts her in eighth place among the candidates when it comes to fundraising.

Louisiana's 6th district congressional race has a crowded field. Fourteen candidates have informed the Federal Election Commission of their intention to run. Ten of those people, including Felder and Graves, are actively raising money for their election efforts.

The 6th district election will be held Nov. 4. If no candidate receives over 50 percent of the vote, the top two performers will face each other in a runoff on Dec. 6.